New CMP station now charging electric cars at Wells Public Library

WELLS, Maine — Many towns install chargers for electric cars in their communities as a sustainability measure to help address climate change, according to Aaron Smith of Central Maine Power.

But Wells is taking a “unique and novel approach,” he said.

“There’s a lot of emphasis here on economic development … and making sure that constituents here and also vacationers had charging readily available,” he said.

Smith is the program manager for a new CMP pilot project in which it is partnering with Revision Energy and municipalities to install charging stations for electric cars throughout the utility’s service region. On Friday, he and others gathered at Wells Public Library to celebrate the installation of a new charging station there.

Wells Town Manager Larissa Crockett spoke of the new station in economic terms, moments before the ribbon-cutting ceremony began. She said Wells is a town that historically has relied on tourism during the summertime as an economic driver, but that is shifting as the population is becoming more year-round and businesses are tailoring their services accordingly.

“If we’re going to remain competitive in attracting tourists to our area, we need to acknowledge the fact that by 2030, by 2035, there will no longer be gasoline-based vehicles being manufactured,” Crockett said.

That means tourists from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and elsewhere will be coming to Wells in electric cars, Crockett said, which means the town needs to have accommodating infrastructure in place.

Crockett said she proposed installing the charging station at the town hall, parks and recreation department or the library. She said CMP and Revision Energy selected the library after conducting site analyses. Crockett said the site was a good one, centrally located, with parking spaces and sidewalks in place for people who want to visit the library or local businesses as their cars charge.

Crockett said the assessing department in town uses an electric vehicle. She added that the town is working toward adding hybrid or electrical vehicles to its fleet in the years ahead, particularly as leases on current vehicles expire.

Jason Rauch, the energy, environmental and regulatory policy manager for CMP, said the Wells station is the first to go online in the utility’s service area. The station has four of the 60 plugs that CMP plans to stall among its communities.

The charger is a Level 2 type that uses 240 volts, allowing for a variety of amperages. Depending on a vehicle’s battery capacity, the charge can fully power up a car in four to eight hours.